Kauri Cliffs

Details

Holes

18

Par

72

Built

2004

Type

Seaside

Architect

David Harman

Access

Yes, on Saturday, Sunday and on public holidays.

The course at Kauri Cliffs Maturi Bay combines great New Zealand scenery with great golf in a way matched only by Cape Kidnappers. Situated on a ridgeline with views of the stunning Bay of Islands, so one of the course's major challenges is the distraction caused by the scenery (not to mention the vertigo brought on by the dramatic shifts in elevation). The layout makes the most of the gorges and cliff faces, and offers clear penalties for errant shots as well as new opportunities for the bold and the creative. Ample fairways help to compensate for the breezes off the bay, and the design nicely tends to pair more narrow drives with more straightforward approaches to the green. The front nine makes its way down in the direction of the shore through thick fescue, while the back starts at sea level and ascends to the clubhouse.

Kauri Cliffs in Northland New Zealand is an astonishing place to visit & the golf course has the most spectacular views over the islands and bays, pretty much on every hole. It truly is one of the most picturesque places imaginable to swing golf sticks, but this beauty makes it somewhat difficult to give an objective view on the quality of the golfing test, because all the way round each day I was just mesmerised by the views!
On the days we were there the fairways had been cut quite generously which made tee shots quite straight forward (normally my achilles heel). We were also lucky with the weather, as the wind was never too strong.
We absolutely loved our 3 games, including one round with Julian Robertson, the owner, who was such an fun & interesting person to play with.
I had one astonishing round, scoring 45 stableford points, so it should be my ‘best /favourite’ course ever played, and I can only say that this must show how good Kidnappers & the Barnbougle courses are to rank above it in our ‘most fun’ Antipodean course rankings. It is difficult to rank Kauri Cliffs against the older, more traditional and far tougher courses we played on our trip but it is such a fabulous experience it has to be a 5star rating.
A real extravagance & it blew our budget to stay there but delighted we did, just the once!

Kauri Cliffs in Northland New Zealand is an astonishing place to visit & the golf course has the most spectacular views over the islands and bays, pretty much on every hole. It truly is one of the most picturesque places imaginable to swing golf sticks, but this beauty makes it somewhat difficult to give an objective view on the quality of the golfing test, because all the way round each day I was just mesmerised by the views!
On the days we were there the fairways had been cut quite generously which made tee shots quite straight forward (normally my achilles heel). We were also lucky with the weather, as the wind was never too strong.
We absolutely loved our 3 games, including one round with Julian Robertson, the owner, who was such an fun & interesting person to play with.
I had one astonishing round, scoring 45 stableford points, so it should be my ‘best /favourite’ course ever played, and I can only say that this must show how good Kidnappers & the Barnbougle courses are to rank above it in our ‘most fun’ Antipodean course rankings. It is difficult to rank Kauri Cliffs against the older, more traditional and far tougher courses we played on our trip but it is such a fabulous experience it has to be a 5star rating.
A real extravagance & it blew our budget to stay there but delighted we did, just the once!

Golfing in NZ... What a treat! Kicking off my NZ tour with Kauri Cliffs was definitely a treat! The course is absolutely stunning (some fairways were a bit sick, yet it did not change the overall feeling). The views from several holes (including 12 to 16 on the back 9) is absolutely spectacular and the layout is fantastic! The par 3 7th is one of the best yet most challenging holes one can ever play but if you were to lose one or a few balls here, just look at the ocean and all will be forgotten in a heartbeat. The clubhouse and facilities are truly spectacular too! Overall, a challenging and expensive course but it is worth every penny!